Far Away For Far Too Long
by darcelizabeth
Summary: After several years away, Darcy has returned to Toronto to embark on a year long adventure with Clare. While she is focused on having some quality sisterly bonding, she also wants to make some amends with some of her ghosts. Will she be able to balance her sisterly duties on top of her rekindled friendships? Warning: Chapter 6 is Rated M.
1. Thank God For Hometowns

**A/N: I tried to calculate the correct timeframe, due to Degrasi's timeline always being off. This story takes place 4 years after Darcy left for Kenya. Clare has just graduated from Degrassi and planning on having her year off, which Darcy is joining her on. Chapter 2 touches on what Darcy has been up to these past 4 years.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or the characters. This is solely for entertainment purposes.**

 **For my person, Heather. Until we meet again.**

* * *

 _ **Aug. 29th**_

Walking up to The Dot, Darcy took a deep breath. It had been years since she had seen some of her old friends and she wasn't entirely sure if she was ready for it. It was much easier for her to talk to everyone over the phone or online rather than in person, especially since she had control over who she spoke to and for how long. If she felt awkward in the slightest, she easily could lie and say she had to go. It wasn't so easy to hide how awkward she felt in person. She stopped in front of the steps, grabbing her phone out to check the time. 11:47. Immediately Darcy opened up her texts. " _You have 13 minutes. PLEASE do not be late,"_ she texted to Clare. She knew she could just turn right around and wait in her car, taking the cowards way out, but at least if she went in she could get a coffee. Maybe she would get lucky. Maybe there wouldn't be anyone she knew inside. So before she could chicken out, Darcy slid her phone back into her back pocket and opened the door for The Dot.

Darcy glanced around, noticing how different it was from what she remembered. She had heard about the explosion and the remodeling but never expected to see The Dot looking like this. Then she spotted the one familiarity that she was pleasantly happy to see. A smile instantly crossed her face as she approached the counter. "Well well well, hello stranger."

Spinner heard her voice and immediately looked up. "Holy shit! Darce?!" He put down the washcloth he had in his hand and made his way out from behind the counter. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, lifting her up off of the ground a little. "What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me you were in town?"

Darcy let out a soft squeal when he had lifted her up before being placed back on her feet. "I just got in yesterday and I don't think I'll be here long. The better question is what are YOU doing here?"

He guided her over to a table as he scanned the room to see if any customers needed anything. There were only two other customers who seemed to be more concerned about their laptops than what was going on. "Why wouldn't I be here? This is the dream," he said sarcastically with a light laugh as Darcy took a seat, placing her phone on the table. "Do you want a coffee?"

"Yes please," she nodded. "With fre-"

"French vanilla and 4 scoops of sugar. Because a sweet girl like you likes her coffee sweet," he smirked. He headed back behind the counter and started to pour her coffee.

Darcy shook her head with a smile. "I don't know if I should be impressed or creeped out that you still remember that."

Spinner shrugged as he poured the sugar and French vanilla cream into the coffee and started to stir it. "Well, it is kind of my thing." He brought out the coffee and sat down across from her.

She blew on the coffee for a short moment before taking a small sip. "Mmmm… and you certainly are good at it." She placed the cup back on the table, keeping her hands around it for the warmth. "Seriously though, as happy as I am to see you, why are you here? I thought you were opening your own café around here."

Spinner had been one of the few from her past that she had kept in contact with. While Darcy had been able to follow a lot of her old friends' lives through FaceRange, many of them she didn't actually speak with often. With Spinner, they always seemed to catch up at least once a month. She valued the friendship that they were able to have after everything they both had been through. Their friendship had been mutually beneficial. Spinner helped Darcy during Clare's battle with cancer and during her parents' divorce while Darcy had been helping Spinner with during his divorce to Emma after only a few short years. If anyone would have told Darcy when she left for Kenya that Spinner would become her closest old friend, she wouldn't have believed them. Now she wouldn't have it any other way.

Spinner hesitated for a second. "Well, that's my goal. Divorce is uhh… pretty expensive though," he said with a nod. "So in the meantime, I've been working back here since I moved back. It's not bad, I'm a manager again. I've been talking with Gamal and we may open another location for The Dot. I'll be the head manager at that location if this happens." He watched Darcy take a sip of her coffee. "So, you know… it's not all bad."

Darcy nodded as she listened to him speak. "Well, I'm sorry again that you have to go through all of this. I mean, who would have ever predicted a marriage that started from a drunken night would ever end?" She teased with a light chuckle. "I am really sorry though. Emma's a bitch and a fool to have left you. I still say you should have left her after you found those texts."

He shifted his mouth to the side and bit the inside of his cheek softly. "Yeah, nobody ever said I was smart. I don't exactly make the best decisions. I just wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, I guess." He really wasn't in the mood to talk about his divorce so he quickly tried to change the subject. "So what brought you to town? Shouldn't you be in Ottawa getting ready for school to start back up?"

She could tell Spinner was getting a little uncomfortable with the divorce topic. "Actually, I'm taking a year off." She glanced down at her phone for a quick second to check the time. 11:54. "Clare's taking a year off and I thought I would join her. She's had a rough year, well a rough few years. And even though she always told me she was fine with me being in Ottawa, I just felt it was best if I go on break with her. So this year is going to be for us," she said then took another sip.

Spinner smiled when she said she was joining Clare. "That's awesome, Darce. That's going to be awesome for you two," he nodded. "So does this mean I'll be able to actually see you now?" He laughed lightly.

Darcy shrugged with a smile. "Maybe," she said in a sing-song voice. "You'll just have to wait and see. We're planning on hitting the open road and exploring this next year. I'm sure we're going to be spending quite some time here as well though."

He nodded his head. "Well, yeah. How else are you going to get your coffee fix?" He snickered. He glanced around at the other customers before he caught sight of someone making their way towards the door. "Hey, so, you know you're my favorite ex-girlfriend, right?" he said as he looked back at Darcy.

She let out a little cackle. "Oh wow, okay," she said as she rolled her eyes through her laughter. "What do you want? You can't possibly say that without wanting something." She picked up her coffee again and took another sip.

"Hey! Maybe I just wanted to tell you that you're my favorite," he said with a light laugh as he glanced at the door. "Just uhh… don't freak out, okay?" he said as the chimes on the door went off due to it being opened. He nodded his head towards the door as he looked back at Darcy.

Darcy raised an eyebrow before turning in her seat to see what he was talking about. Her eyes locked on the familiar blue eyes she knew all too well. Her heart started to race as she watched those blue eyes stop dead in their tracks.

"D-Darcy?" Peter spoke softly in complete shock.


	2. Hello Lonely

**_Aug. 29th_**

"D-Darcy?" Peter spoke in complete shock. He stared at her beautiful brown eyes that he had longed to look in to all these years. Darcy couldn't really be here. Not after all these years. This was a dream, it had to be. After all, he had had a dream similar to this so many times for the past few years, since she had left him for Kenya.

"Peter?" Darcy asked softly as she slowly got up. Her brown eyes had begun to fill with tears and she was visibly shaken.

This was it. This was real. For the first time since she had left for Kenya those years before, Darcy was here. She was really back. Without any hesitation, Peter walked up to her and embraced her in the biggest and tightest hug he had ever given. He breathed in deeply as he held her, taken in the scent of her. There was a different scent to her; she had changed her shampoo and the perfume she wore; but there was definitely a familiar scent in there. "I can't believe you're here. I can't believe this is real." He whispered as he kept her close, refusing to let her go. Deep in his mind he felt that if he let her go then she would be gone for good.

Darcy had wrapped her arms around him, pleasantly surprised that he had actually embraced her. She too had taken in his scent, which hadn't changed much over the years. She closed her eyes as she held on to him, shaking a little as she attempted to hold the tears back. "I'm here, Peter. I'm here," she whispered back to him, not having the heart to tell him that it may only be for a few hours or a few days. At least she couldn't tell him right now. She moved one hand to her face as she wiped away a tear that had managed to escape.

He finally loosened his grip on her a little as he looked over at Spinner. "Hey man, do you mind if I-"

"No, take your time," Spinner said as he got up from the table. "You guys sit. Take all the time you guys need." He gave Peter a single pat on the shoulder before walking back behind the counter.

Darcy watched Spinner walk off as she let go of Peter. She looked back at him, instantly looking back in his eyes. "Hi," she said softly before looking down towards the ground. As her eyes were moving down, she noticed his shirt and fixated on it. "So, you work here too?" She asked as she looked back up at him. She was happy to have noticed his shirt, hoping that this would be a long enough diversion so they wouldn't have time to talk about her. After all, Clare should be there in any moment.

Peter dropped his arms to his side, shoving one of his hands in his pocket. "Uhh… yeah," he nodded. "Just part time while I'm in school." He furrowed his eyebrows a little as he took a moment to look her up and down. While he was still shocked to see her, it was now setting in that he doesn't know anything about her anymore. Her look was almost completely different than when he last saw her. Gone was the tan skin that she once obsessed over having. The tan skin that always made him feel like a ghost next to her. Instead, she was now a more natural pale tone. He was definitely still paler than she was, but she was a far cry from her old tone. The long, light brown hair she once had was now shoulder length and a very dark brown. Darcy always had a more preppy look when she attended Degrassi but now her look seemed to be more rocker chic. She had changed; there was no doubt to that. Peter feared that the change may have been on the inside as well and that she wouldn't be that same girl that he once loved. Yet still, in his eyes she was easily one of the most beautiful people he had ever laid eyes on.

Darcy nodded a single nod then noticed how he was just looking at her. "Oh, school? Where are you going?" She asked rather quickly, sitting back down at the table. "What are you studying?" She picked up her coffee and took a long sip of it, keeping her eyes on him.

He watched her drink her coffee as he walked over and sat down across from her. "Just over here at University of Toronto. I'm majoring in Cinema." He said with a nod before shifting his mouth slightly. "And well… I was minoring in African Studies as well." His voice was very sharp when he brought up African Studies.

The second that Darcy heard African Studies, she started to choke on her coffee, putting the mug down. She never expected to hear him taking any classes on Africa, let alone trying to minor in it. She had to hit her chest a few times as she was coughing before she finally stopped choking. She cleared her throat a few times before the feeling of something being stuck in her throat was gone. "Oh," she said weakly, her voice cracking from all of the coughing she just did. She tried to clear her throat again so she could speak, but as she was clearing her throat Peter started to speak again.

"Yeah, speaking of Africa…" he tilted his head to the side a little. Gone was the happy demeanor he had for seeing her. Now he seemed angry. "When did you get back? It's been what… almost 4 years since you went?" He scratched his arm lightly, which was something he always found himself doing in tense moments. "I thought you would have become a full-blown citizen of Kenya by now."

Darcy shifted her mouth and glanced down. This was what she was hoping to avoid. "I actually came back from Kenya right after graduation," she said softly. She was afraid of how he was going to react, so she kept her eyes on her coffee and started to talk rather quickly. "I got my GED that summer and then moved out to Ottawa to attend university out there. And well… that's where I've been since. Except now, obviously." She started to trace the top of the mug with her index finger, keeping her eyes off of Peter.

He sat there in disbelief for a moment. He stared at her tracing the mug before shaking his head, letting out a very faint huff. "So what you're telling me is you've been back in Canada for 3 years and you never once thought of contacting me?" He asked sternly. "Are you kidding me right now? First you tell me basically last minute that you're leaving for Kenya, which was only supposed to be for a semester. Now you're telling me you've been back but couldn't be bothered to contact me?" His voice rose slightly, causing the other customers to glance over at them. He shook his head again and got up, glancing over at Spinner. "I need some air." Peter walked right past Darcy and out the door so he could try and calm down.

Darcy closed her eyes and swallowed the big lump that had formed in her throat. That certainly could have gone better. She sighed softly before opening her eyes and looking over at Spinner.

Spinner had been watching the entire thing. "You know, he kind of has a point," he said with a shrug.

She shook her head. "Yeah but it wasn't like that. I didn't think he-"

"Don't tell me. Go out there and tell him, Darce." Spinner pointed towards the door. "Don't let him believe you just didn't care to contact him. We both know that's not the case. Go after him."

Darcy knew that Spinner was right. She had to go after Peter. If she didn't, he'd believe everything he said. He had to hear her side if there was any hope that they could be friends again. She got up from the table and headed towards the door, spotting Eli and Clare right out front. As she stepped out of The Dot, she stopped in front of Clare and Eli. "I'll just be a moment, guys. I promise," she said before glancing over at Peter. He was pacing back and forth near the alleyway. "Peter, it's not like that," she started to say as she walked towards him.

"It's not like that?" Peter asked as he looked back at her. "How is it not like that? For three years you've had the opportunity to try and see me and you didn't! What excuse can you possibly have that would make this okay?"

"I didn't think you wanted to hear from me!" She let out, her voice raised and her eyes glossy. "The last words you said to me were that you weren't coming to Kenya. You were staying here and staying with Mia! I tried to call you after that. I wrote you so many letters. You never replied to anything!" She shook her head. "I thought you made it pretty clear that you didn't want to hear from me."

He listened to her and actually saw her point of view. Still, he was so damn angry. She left him for Kenya. She told everyone she was going to Kenya before him. She chose to stay in Kenya for an extra semester. She came back and didn't contact him. He groaned, shaking his head. "Yeah, I didn't answer you. You left me for fucking Kenya! Then you just expected me to leave here and join you for an extra semester there. That was never the plan, Darce. Kenya was never supposed to be in our plans!" He yelled and started to pace around again. "I did everything I could so we could be together and you just ripped it all apart!"

Her jaw dropped a little. " _You_ did everything so we could be together? You told me you would join me in Kenya! That's a big reason I stayed there the extra semester! You were supposed to join me and we could be together!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm such a horrible person because I didn't fly to another fucking continent so we could be together," Peter yelled. "Because getting myself emancipated so I didn't have to move to Regina just wasn't enough. You wanted me to follow you to a whole other continent." He stopped pacing and looked back at her. "Do you realize how selfish you are?"

Clare and Eli were paying close attention to this exchange. Clare didn't want to see her sister upset, just like she was now. "Darcy, let's just go."

Darcy looked back at Clare and shook her head. "Not yet." She turned back to Peter. "What was I supposed to do? Come back here so you could choose Mia over me right in front of me?!" She took a step closer to him. "I almost left Kenya in that first week because I was miserable without you and I thought I made the biggest mistake of my life. Imagine my surprise when I found out that you hooked up with Mia before I was even out of the country!" Her voice began to shake. "So who's the selfish one? You couldn't even keep it in your pants for one day. You had to move on to the biggest slut at school faster than you could even say my name!"

"Oh here we go," Peter threw his hands up a little. "Yes, let's talk about how I moved on so quickly. Did you ever stop to think that maybe it just felt nice to feel wanted by someone? Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have hooked up with her that quick, but you made me feel like you didn't want me. Mia listened to me. She wanted me, which was more than I could say about you."

"I wanted you!" She yelled out. She watched Peter shake his head and turn away. Darcy grabbed on to his arm quickly to stop him. "Look, you were all I wanted but I needed to go to Kenya. I needed to do that for me. I'm sorry that you were hurt by my decision but I was hurt by you too."

He stopped when she had grabbed his arm and he looked back at her. He sighed softly. "I know why you had to go to. I understand why." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm still not happy with it and I probably never will be but I do understand why. I just wish you would have given me more of a warning before you left." He swallowed a little, "and I wish you would have come back when you were supposed to."

The fact that he wasn't yelling anymore made Darcy relax a little. She kept her hand on his arm. "If I could change how I went about things back then, I would. I would have told you about Kenya when I first even thought about it. But I couldn't come back," she said softly, shrugging a little. "You can call me selfish for it all you want because I was selfish. I just couldn't come back and watch you with Mia. I couldn't watch the guy I love be in love with someone else." She let go of his arm and looked down at the ground.

Peter listened to her and exhaled loudly. "I wasn't in love with her," he said after a few moments. "I never was in love with her." He put his hand under her chin and lifted it up a little so she would look at him. "I could never love her when I was so in love with you." He caressed her jawline softly with his thumb.

She couldn't help but to smile a little when he spoke. She put her hand over his. "Well, for what it's worth, I wish I would have come back after the first semester. I was absolutely miserable there without you; especially when you stopped taking my calls."

He nodded his head before he quickly took his hand back from her. "Well, too bad we can't change the past," he said as he looked past her. "No use dwelling on it now. I got… I got to get into work." He said, still not looked at her.

"Peter…" Darcy said softly as she watched him walk past her. She wanted to grab on to him and make him stop again but he saw a tall, pretty blonde girl approaching Peter.

"Babe! I thought you would be working by now," the girl said as she got closer.

Peter smiled slightly as he waited for the girl to get closer. "I am, I just had to step out here for a moment."

The girl got up to Peter and noticed Clare and Eli, then noticed Darcy off by where Peter just walked from. "Oh… who's that?" She asked with a smile, putting her hands on Peter's shoulder.

He glanced back at Darcy for a quick second. "Just an old friend," he said before looking back at the girl, planting a big kiss on her lips. Then he opened the door for The Dot, holding it open for the girl.

Darcy watched this exchange and it felt like a knife went through her heart. She wasn't sure if it was jealousy because this gorgeous girl is with Peter or if it was just feeling hurt over him calling her an old friend. They were so much more than that. She convinced herself that it cannot be jealousy. After all, she hadn't been with Peter in nearly 4 years. She had no claim to him.

"Darce…" Clare said sympathetically, snapping Darcy out of her daze. "Come on, let's go. We need to get Eli to the airport."

Darcy nodded her head and started to lead them towards the parking lot. As she was passing Peter and his girlfriend entering The Dot, she heard the blonde say " _Wait, did she say Darce? As in Darcy?_ " A smile started to form on Darcy's face. Clearly this girlfriend knows about her, more so than just being an old friend. This means he's talked about her, meaning she's been on Peter's mind after all these years. This made Darcy hopeful that one day they could actually be friends again.


	3. The One That Got Away

_**Aug. 29th**_

Darcy spent the majority of the car ride to the airport in silence, allowing for Clare and Eli to talk amongst themselves. It's not like she could really pay attention even if she wanted to. She was replaying every moment, every word that was said between Peter and her today. He was so happy to see her, even if the happiness was only for a few moments. His initial reaction was happiness and if she had to believe anything it's that the initial reaction was the realist reaction. She just had to hold on to that. Plus whoever this girlfriend of his was obviously had heard about Darcy. This was all positive and actually better than she had anticipated. Their exchange didn't end on bad terms. It was a little weird to be called an old friend but it could have been so much worse. He acknowledged that she was something to him before. An 'old friend' could easily become a new friend again. She just had to remain positive.

"Uhh… Darcy? Earth to Darcy?" she heard Clare say, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Hmm?" Darcy glanced over at Clare for a brief second, preferring to keep her eyes on the road.

Clare glanced back at Eli for a second, chuckling before looking back at Darcy. "Eli was just asking if you were going to allow me to visit him this year?"

Darcy looked at Eli through the rearview mirror and smirked. "I don't know, am I invited too?" she teased.

Eli looked into the mirror, catching Darcy's eyes. "That depends, are you going to be a space cadet thinking about Peter the whole time or not?" he teased right back.

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head, looking back at the road as they approached the airport. "I sure am _not_ going to miss you," she said sarcastically.

"You love me and you know it," he said with a grin. Even though Darcy hadn't lived in Toronto for four years, she still knew Eli very well. She heard all about him from Clare on top of seeing him on holidays and other special occasions when Clare and Eli were on good terms. He was like the little brother she never had. Sure, Jake was her step-brother but they really never talk. Jake is off to college and doing his own thing just like Darcy was doing. Eli and Darcy would actually keep in touch, often texting each other about Clare even when Eli and Clare weren't together.

Darcy wrinkled her nose up. "Eww, no way, mop head," she teased. She drove around the parking lot to find a spot for them to park.

"Hey, I happen to like the mop head look," Clare said as she reached back to mess with Eli's hair.

Eli batted Clare's hand away from his hair. "Hey hey hey, let's leave my awesome hair out of this."

Darcy parked the car and looked back at him. "No can do, mop head." She said before rustling his hair.

Eli pushed her hand away, groaning softly. "This would be why I _won't_ miss you," he teased and looked up at Clare. "You know, there's still time to just come to New York with me. You know I'm better company than her," he said as he nodded towards Darcy.

"RUDE!" Darcy yelled through laughter before getting out of her car.

Clare and Eli both exited the car as well. "Eh, she smells better than you though," Clare teased.

He put his arm around Clare, shaking his head. "You Edwards girls will be the death of me." He turned his head to face Clare more. "Just don't go doing anything crazy, okay?"

Darcy walked towards them and shook her head. "She's going to be with me. Nothing crazy will happen," she said as she approached them.

Eli looked over at Darcy and shook his head. "Being with you is what worries me. You're going to drag her off to Kenya then _I_ won't hear from her for like four years," he teased.

"HEY!" She hit him lightly on his arm. "You know, I was rooting for you two but now I'm going to try and find her a new man this year." She said with a smirk.

"Okay okay okay," he said as he dropped his arm from around Clare. "You'll take good care of her, I know it," he said before pulling Darcy into a hug.

"Damn straight. I won't take her to Kenya, I'll take her to Rome," she said as she hugged him back. "Get her a good real Italian man."

"Whatever you say, Darce. You love me too much to do that," he said before letting her go. "I'll miss ya, you jerk."

She wrinkled her nose up. "Ugh, fine. I _guess_ I'll miss you too, jackass." She said with a smile before looking over at Clare. "Don't go sneaking on the plane with him."

Clare smiled through Eli and Darcy's interactions. "I can't make any promises." She grabbed Eli's hand and they started to walk into the airport. Darcy stayed behind, sitting back in her car. She figured she'd allow them some privacy to say their last goodbye's before Eli had to get on his plane.

* * *

" _Wait, did she say Darce? As in Darcy?"_ The blonde asked Peter as they were entering The Dot. Peter sighed a little to himself. He wasn't exactly trying to hide the fact that it was Darcy, he just didn't want to deal with any of this right now. He wanted to be able to bring this up to his girlfriend when he knew exactly what to say. He led her up to the counter, where she promptly took a seat. "Yeah, uhh… that was Darcy," he said kind of rushed as he walked behind the counter. He grabbed a mug to start making her favorite drink for her.

"I thought you said you hadn't heard from her in years? That she just vanished and you had no idea where she was?" The blonde was asking these questions rather quickly; clearly alarmed at the fact that it was Darcy.

He looked up at her as he was making her drink. "I did because that's the truth. I hadn't heard from her in almost four years. I didn't know where she was or if she had just stayed in Kenya."

"Wait… she was in Kenya?! Is that why you're so interested in African Studies?!" She nearly shrieked out.

Peter slapped himself mentally, wishing he hadn't had said Kenya. "Anastasia, calm down," he groaned out. He finished her drink and put it on the counter for her. "Sweetie," he said as he grabbed her hands, "I know you have a lot of questions. Hell, I do too. I just don't have all of the answers."

Anastasia looked down at their hands then back at him. "You didn't answer me about Kenya. That's one that you should have an answer to," she said softly.

He closed his eyes and hung his head for a second before letting out a deep sigh. "Yes, she was in Kenya," he said as he looked back up at her. "She went off to Kenya to help build schools or help children or whatever."

She narrowed her eyes and pulled her hands away from his. "So that's why you study African Studies? So you could just run off and join her in Kenya and live happily ever after?" she spat out.

"No!" he nearly yelled, trying not to get too loud since there were customers. "I mean yes, she is why I got interested in Africa. She is a big reason why I decided to get into African Studies." He leaned in closer, trying to show how sincere he was and also keep his volume down. "But I was not going to run off to Kenya to join her. Maybe I thought of that before when I first joined the program but that was before I met you. I never even once thought about going to Kenya after I met you." Deep down he knew that was a lie but he had to say what he thought would appease Anastasia.

She listened to him and shook her head. "You didn't stop studying Africa when we got together. How am I supposed to believe you? Remember how you told me she was your first and only love? That she was the one that got away?"

He stared blankly at her for a moment before shaking his head. "And do you remember what else I said to you? Yes, I said Darcy was the one that got away _then_. That night I also told you that I thought I was falling in love with you; which I have!" Peter said a little louder. "We've been together for over a year now. I don't think about Darcy and she's not my only love. She's my ex. She's practically a stranger to me now. She's my past. You're my now."

Anastasia nodded her head as he spoke. She grabbed her drink and took a sip out of it, trying to compose herself and figure out how to reply. "I can see your point, I guess." She said softly. "I just wish you would have told me the truth about her then. I wish you would have told me about Kenya, not that she just disappeared. I told you the truth about Brian and Jared. I told you everything to put it all in my past." She put her mug down and exhaled loudly. "You didn't tell me everything and you clearly have not put Darcy in the past by continuing in the African Studies program."

Peter wrinkled his forehead and looked at her in disbelief. "What? Do you want me to drop out of the program now?" He said sarcastically.

"As a matter of fact, yes." She said as she crossed her arms. "Prove that you're over her. Prove that you don't think about her anymore. Drop out of the classes."

The look of disbelief did not leave his face. He glanced around, not moving his head, as he tried to process what she just said. "Anastasia, be reasonable here. I can't drop out of the classes. I only have these last two before I have my degree."

She scoffed and grabbed her purse. "Well then clearly you cannot commit to me then." She huffed out. She got up from her stool and walked out of The Dot quickly.

Peter couldn't believe what had just happened. He glanced around trying to determine if this was a joke or not. His eyes locked on Spinner's, who had heard the whole thing. "What the fuck?" he said softly.

Spinner shrugged and shook his head. "This is why I'm glad I'm single right now." He chuckled softly to himself. He could see the confusion on Peter's face and knew what was coming. "Go ahead, go after her."

Peter nodded his head and came out from the counter, rushing out of the door. He glanced around when he got outside then ran down the sidewalk towards Anastasia. "Anastasia, stop!" He yelled out. Once he got close enough he grabbed on to her to get her to actually stop. "Come on. Don't do this. I can't drop the classes but I will do anything else you want. I don't care about Darcy anymore. I care about you. What do you want me to do to prove it?"

She was happy that he had run after her. Truthfully, she loved the drama like this. She loved making him chase after her. In her eyes it showed how much he really loved her and it spiced things up. "Fine. Then I don't want you to see her ever again. I don't want you to talk to her. I don't want you to even look at her." She spat out.

Peter thought shew as being unreasonable but he wasn't going to say that. He was going to bite his tongue and do whatever would make her happy. "I can do that. I had no intentions of talking to her or seeing her again anyway."

Anastasia crossed her arms, still not buying it. "And if she comes into The Dot?" She had so much attitude in her voice, as if she had such disdain for Darcy and for Peter.

"Uhh…" he shifted his mouth slightly. He didn't really think he could do anything about that. "Well, I serve her whatever her order is and not talk to her or look at her outside of that?" His tone raised a little at the end, indicating that he wasn't sure about the answer.

She shook her head. "No." She stepped closer to Peter. "You can tell her that she has to leave. That she is banned from your work. And if she doesn't leave, threaten to call the cops for trespassing." She had a devilish grin on her face. Saying this just brought her a lot of pleasure.

Peter knew he couldn't do that. He didn't have control over her was banned and who wasn't. There was no way that Spinner would go for this either. Still, he was tired of fighting with Anastasia. Darcy coming back was not his fault. He didn't know she would be there today. He knew nothing. "Okay, I can do that," he said with a nod. He just hoped that Darcy wouldn't come back and would disappear again.

Her grin grew wider as she put a hand on Peter's neck. "Good, because I would really hate to have to hold out on you," she said sultrily. She leaned in and kissed him deeply, biting his bottom lip. "I think tonight you can get a real good reward," she smirked. She let him go and started to walk away again. She glanced back and gave him a quick wink before continuing on her way.

* * *

Darcy and Clare were driving away from saying goodbye to Eli. Now this was real. Now they were really going to have a year of sisterly bonding. Darcy was excited for this. She had been feeling like a crappy sister for letting Clare go through so much without her constantly being there. She had her own reasons for not being there on top of Clare telling her that she didn't need to come. Still, this year would prove to be what they both needed. "So Clarebear, any idea what you would like to do first?" She asked as she looked over at Clare.

Clare glanced back over at Darcy and shook her head. "I honestly have no idea what I want to do. It's kind of scary."

Darcy chuckled as she looked back at the road. "It's a good scary, right? To just be able to be free and do whatever you want. To learn about yourself…" she glanced back at Clare. "There's just something nice about it, I think."

"I guess. You know I hate not having a plan, though." Clare said with a nod.

Darcy nodded as she kept on driving. "I know. But if I have learned anything, and I'm sure you can attest to this, it's that you really can't have a plan. Life just loves to throw us curveballs that are totally out of our control."

Clare nodded her head in agreement. "True. I guess let's just drive around until we stumble upon something that looks fun."

Darcy smiled. "Sounds perfect to me. And I think I have the perfect road trip music for us," she said as she grabbed a cd out of her holder on her visor. She popped the cd into her stereo and glanced over at Clare.

Overprotected by Britney Spears started to play and Clare glanced over at Darcy, laughing. "Oh, this is not!"

"Oh it is, Clarebear," Darcy said with a laugh. The cd was a mixed cd that Darcy and Clare made together years ago, full of songs that they both loved to sing along to. Darcy cranked up the radio and they both started to sing along at the top of their lungs.


	4. I'll Take Care of You

**A/N: Thank you for the favorites and the reviews! I wasn't sure if anyone was still interested in Darcy, I'm glad I have been proven wrong!**

* * *

 _ **Sep. 2nd**_

A few days had passed since Darcy came face to face with Peter. Although her time had been consumed with Clare, she could not get Peter out of her mind. These past few days had been phenomenal with Clare. The Edwards sisters had found themselves on a road trip, stopping at various small towns to ending in Sudbury, Ontario. Clare was quick to point out Science North, a science museum, much to Darcy's distaste. Darcy agreed to go to this museum if they could also do something she really wanted. Clare was preparing herself for a shopping spree that would take up the rest of the day but was surprised when Darcy pulled into Onaping Falls. This was the last place that Clare thought they would wind up.

After explaining that all Darcy really wanted to do was go hiking, the sisters changed out of their sandals and into their tennis shoes. They started on the hiking trail, talking about nothing in particular on their way up to the falls. After an hour they got to the top. Darcy took a deep breath in, looking down at the falls and taking in the scenery. She glanced over at Clare. "Understand now why I wanted to come up here?"

Clare looked around in aww of the beauty. "It is beautiful," she said softly before looking at Darcy. "I just didn't realize you were into hiking. At all." She said with a light laugh as she looked back out at the falls.

Darcy closed her eyes for a moment. "It's just peaceful. I feel I'm able to think and reflect more during a hike. Especially when you get to the top," she said and opened her eyes back up. She looked around on the ground before sitting down, bringing her knees up to her chest. She looked up at Clare and patted the ground next to her. "Come, sit. I think we both could use some reflection." Clare nodded her head and walked up next to Darcy before taking a seat. They both were quiet for a minute as they stared out at the water and trees. "Clarebear?" Darcy finally said, speaking in a hushed tone.

Clare was enjoying the scenery and the peace and quiet. She felt as if all of the fog in her head and all of the drama from the past few years was being lifted. "Yeah?" She glanced back over at Darcy.

"I'm… I'm sorry I've been a bad sister," Darcy wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her chin on top of her knees. "You've been through so much and I should have been here with you."

Clare scrunched up her forehead and shook her head. "Darce, you don't have to apologize." She placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You were here for me in more ways than I could ever have hoped. Who else could I call at 4am and have them answer every time?" She let out a soft chuckle before getting more serious. "I know you would have been here physically if you could. That's not your fault."

Darcy lifted her head from her knees and looked over at Clare. "It is my fault. I should have-"

"No!" Clare quickly cut her sister off. "I don't want you to ever say anything with that… that… _asshole_ was your fault." She shook her head. "You were going through a lot yourself. We both have endured more than we should have had to." She moved her hand and put her arm around Darcy's shoulders. "The important thing now is that's over now and you're here now."

Darcy nodded her head but she still felt like she was at fault. "Yeah, but if I never even began to date him then I would have been here through your treatments and then maybe I could have prevented you from-"

"Stop," Clare couldn't help but to let out a light chuckle. "You have to stop blaming yourself for everything. It's not your fault." She shook her head. "You can't go back thinking about the 'what if's' and wishing you did things different. We can't change the past." She rubbed Darcy's shoulder softly. "We just have to learn from it all and try not to make the same mistakes again."

Darcy let out a soft chuckle, wiping away a tear that had escaped from her eyes. "Gosh Clarebear, how did you ever get so wise?"

Clare shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Well, you got the looks. I guess I had to get the brains of the family," she teased. She took her arm back from around Darcy's shoulders and instead started to play with her shoe strings. She stared out at the water again, debating on if she wanted to ask Darcy the question on her mind. Clare figured now would be the best time to ask as the topic was already sort of brought up. "So… how long did Austin… umm… you know?"

Darcy was surprised to hear this question. She shifted her mouth and looked back at the water. "Umm… a little over a year and a half…" she said quietly.

Clare's head quickly turned back to Darcy. "What?! Darce…" Concern had taken over her face. "Oh Darce… I wish you would have told me. I would have tried to help you."

Darcy shrugged slightly. "The first time it happened he was drunk and I honestly thought it was a mistake. Then it didn't happen again for a few months." She continued to stare out at the water, her voice going monotone as she recounted the events. It was easier for her to recount them as facts, pushing her emotions out of it. "It started off with him just getting angry when he was drunk. He was always looking for a fight and I tried to calm him down but that just made him direct his anger towards me. Sometimes I wish I would have just let him get into fights with the strangers at the bars. I just… I wanted to protect him." She nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Every morning after it would happen, he would apologize profusely. He promised it would never happen again. I finally got him to promise not to drink when he saw the bruises around my neck. He would have killed me that night if I hadn't acted like it got me in the mood." She shifted her mouth, chewing on the side of her mouth for a few seconds.

"He stopped drinking after that and things were good for a bit. I thought it was over. I prayed that it was over. Then he wouldn't let me come visit you when you were in the hospital. I fought with him; I packed my bags and told him it wasn't up for discussion. He… he grabbed ahold of my hair as I was walking away and he slammed me against the wall. He made sure I wouldn't go anywhere. I thought for sure I was going to die that night. I had never seen him so angry when he was sober." She felt Clare's hand on top of hers and could hear Clare gasping as she spoke. "It got worse from there. He told me that if I ever left him he would kill me. He always said that I brought it on myself. It was my fault he was so angry and if I would just stop being so damn stupid that none of this would happen." She lifted a hand up and wiped the tears that had started to fall.

Clare wrapped her arms around Darcy, attempting to wipe her tears as well. "I'm so sorry Darce. I'm so so sorry." She pulled Darcy in close.

Darcy shook her head. "I'm sorry you and mom had to witness it. I'm sorry that I ruined your graduation night." She said and looked up at Clare.

"Are you kidding me?" Clare looked back at her. " _You_ did not ruin my graduation night. In fact, I'm glad that it happened that night. I mean… of course I would have rather it never happened to begin with, but I'm glad that we finally got to witness it so we could get you away from him." She stroked Darcy's hair gently. "What set him off, anyway?"

Darcy huffed, shaking her head. "Well, you know how mom wanted me to grab the old photo albums so she could show Austin all of our old dorky pictures?" She wiped at her cheeks again. "I guess I was taking too long. Austin came up and well… he found me going through my old Peter box," she swallowed. "That's when he started yelling at me to get rid of it all. _Everything_. The pictures, ticket stubs, letters that Peter had wrote to me… he wanted them all gone. He… he didn't like anything Peter related. I used to wear the key necklace that Peter gave me all the time and during one of our fights, Austin snatched it off of my neck and broke it. He said it was an insult for me to still wear that when I was with him."

Clare listened to her sister and raised an eyebrow. "Why did you wear that necklace?" she asked softly.

Darcy looked down and shrugged. "I don't know… I know I shouldn't have but when I wore it I felt like things would get better. I can't really explain it but Peter was always there for me and wearing the necklace made me feel like he was still there for me, ya know? He always gave me hope and the necklace gave me hope during that time."

Clare nodded slowly. "So… is that why you turned it into an ankle bracelet?"

"You noticed that?" Darcy asked as she looked back up at Clare.

"Well it's not every day that you see someone wearing an ankle bracelet these days," Clare said with a little laugh. She rubbed her sister's shoulder lightly. "So because he saw your old Peter box, he just flew off the handle and pushed you down the stairs?"

"Basically," Darcy said softly. "I mean, I tried to grab our old photo albums to take down to mom and he didn't like that I didn't get rid of the box immediately. He grabbed me as I tried to walk past him and I tried to get him to calm down since you guys were downstairs. Next thing I know he's still yelling and he slaps me, I hear you guys downstairs, I get out of the bedroom so I can go down to you guys, then I just feel that shove, I'm at the bottom of the stairs, and I hear you guys screaming."

"I thought Glen was going to kill Austin," Clare said as she shook her head. "At least Austin was arrested and you have the restraining order out on him. We should never have to hear from that asshole again."

"Yeah…" Darcy said softly, wiping at her cheeks again. "So… Drew Torres, hmm? How in the world did that happen?" She said, desperately trying to change the topic. She really just wanted to leave Austin in the past where he belonged.

Clare could tell she wanted to change the topic, which she really didn't blame her. Clare let out a small chuckle and shook her head. "Drew… well… I don't know. He was such a great friend and we had to work close together for student council. I don't know… you've seen him Darce, he's ridiculously good looking," she said with a light chuckle. "I never imagined that he could ever like me. I'm totally not like the bombshells he has dated in the past." She took a second to collect her thoughts. "Eli and I were in a really rough spot and Drew was there when Eli wasn't. So when I broke up with Eli it just… well it just happened."

Darcy listened to her and chuckled softly. "It as in _sex_ ," she teased. "Come on Clarebear, you're gorgeous and you're incredibly smart. Any man would be a fool to not want you." She watched Clare roll her eyes and Darcy elbowed her lightly. "I'm serious! Besides, you were blessed with the boobs in this family too," she chuckled. "Which I am pretty jealous of, just saying."

Clare wrinkled her nose. "Okay so I got the boobs but you got the rest of the looks."

"Oh whatever, we could just call up Eli right now and ask him." Darcy said with a smirk.

"Oh because that's a fair fight? Why don't we just call up Peter and ask him then?" Clare chuckled.

Darcy shook her head quickly. "Oh ho ho, no no. Peter would probably say you. Besides, he has found himself a gorgeous blonde. I'm sure he thinks I'm like dog meat compared to her."

Clare tilted her head to the side a little. "Yeah… you didn't see the way Peter was looking at you, did you? He so clearly thinks you're the queen of the world still."

Darcy shook her head again. "Yeah… I don't think so," she said softly. "He seemed pretty smitten with that girlfriend of his." She shrugged lightly. "I'm happy for him. He deserves to be happy with someone who doesn't just pack up and go to Kenya for a while."

Clare shook her head. "You know he forgives you for that. You guys have this incredible bond. I have no doubt that you guys are going to be close again. Whether that's as friends or more, I don't know, but I do know a love like yours doesn't just go away. I know you won't let it. You wear that little ankle bracelet for a reason."

Darcy looked at Clare in awe of how wise she was. She laid her head against Clare's shoulder. "I've missed this. I've missed our little talks. You've always been an anchor for me," she said softly.

Clare smiled when Darcy leaned her head against her. "I've missed this too. It's so much better having you here rather than just over the phone or Skype."

"Well, I don't think you have to worry about me leaving anytime soon. I'm not going anywhere." Darcy said and closed her eyes. "Now you, on the other hand, I have a feeling you're going to be in New York this time next year."

Clare chuckled softly. "I don't know. It would be nice but I'm keeping my options open," she said with a nod. "You and I both know how much life can change in a year. I'm not going to plan on anything just yet."

Darcy lifted her head. "Seriously, just look at what life did to you last year. Cancer and a pregnancy?" she shook her head. "You're a stronger person than I am because I don't think I could have made it through all of that." She saw Clare look off towards the water again. "How are you holding up since the… umm… miscarriage? You haven't really talked about it..."

Clare looked down for a moment, trying to process the question. "I… I don't know, honestly," she finally spoke. "Part of it still seems like the whole pregnancy didn't happen; like it was some dream. Then reality sets in and I'm reminded that I was pregnant. I was going to have Eli's baby and just when I thought I'd be able to handle a child, my child dies." She spoke softly, staring out at the water. "This is going to sound horrible but part of me is relieved to have lost my son. I don't think I was ready to be a parent and to put my life on hold for my child. At the same time, what if that was my only chance to be a parent? What if I'll never be able to conceive again? That terrifies me."

Darcy listened to Clare and shifted her mouth. "Well, you know I would gladly be a surrogate for you," she said softly, putting a hand on Clare's shoulder. "You will have a child one day when you are ready. I will make sure that you do." She caressed her sister's shoulder softly. "And heck, maybe I'll be able to grow some boobs while I carry your child. It'll be a win/win for both of us," she joked, just trying to make Clare laugh.

Clare let out a loud laugh, shaking her head. "Well, it's nice to know I have that option. As long as it benefits the both of us," she smirked. She kept her eyes planted on the water for a bit before she looked back at Darcy. "Thanks for bringing me up here. You were completely right about this place."

A smile grew on Darcy's face and she nodded. "I know, every once in a while I get to be right." She glanced back out at the water before getting up, holding her hand out to help Clare. "You ready to get going?"

With that, Clare and Darcy made the trek back down to their car and started to make their way back to Toronto.


	5. Defame Me

**A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews! I hope you all will enjoy what I have in store for you these next few chapters. I've had the ideas floating in my head, it's just getting the time to sit down and write it all out :)**

* * *

 _ **Sep. 7**_ _ **th**_

Darcy and Clare spent a good portion of the day shopping at Eaton Centre. It wasn't exactly what Clare considered fun but she had to admit that this was actually fun. They found themselves purposely trying on clothes that neither of them were remotely interested in and making the most ridiculous outfits. They spoke in fake British accents as they tried on the clothes, annoying all of the sales representatives but they didn't care. Darcy knew that Clare was never the shopping type so she had to make it as fun as possible for her. While they spent the majority of the day just goofing off, they did find themselves buying some items. Darcy finally pulled the plug on their shopping spree, realizing just how much money the sisters had spent.

The sisters decided to stop at The Dot for dinner. Darcy used the excuse that Spinner was working but Clare knew that really Darcy wanted to see Peter. She wasn't going to call her out on it though. Clare really wanted them to mend their broken relationship as she knew that it would bring Darcy so much joy. After everything that they both had been through, Clare thought it was time that they had some joy come their way.

When they arrived at The Dot, they ensured that their shopping bags were secured in the trunk before the girls walked up to the entrance. Darcy entered first and immediately saw the tall blonde boy that always made the butterflies in her stomach flutter. She couldn't help but to get a smile on her face, which Clare had picked up on immediately. Darcy made her way up to the counter, Clare following closely behind. "Hey Peter," she said, her voice light and full of happiness.

Peter glanced up from the drink that he was making for another customer and glanced from Darcy to Clare. He wasn't prepared for this. It had been over a week since he last saw the sisters. He hoped that they had maybe taken a trip somewhere and he wouldn't have to deal with this. Darcy looked beautiful to him, as always, and she looked so happy to see him. He couldn't deny that he secretly was happy to see her as well. That didn't change the fact that Anastasia did not want him to see Darcy at all. "Umm... hey…" he said slowly, looking back down at the drink. He placed the lid over the drink and grabbed a straw before heading out from behind the counter to deliver the drink. "Can you guys actually… uhh… leave?" he asked hesitantly before he walked away from them and over to the customer.

Darcy's smile immediately dropped from her face and she glanced at Clare, her eyebrow raised to see if she had actually just heard Peter right. Still, she didn't think anything malicious about it. She waited for Peter to come back their way to have him elaborate. "Are you guys closing up early or something?" She asked once Peter got back behind the counter.

Peter shifted his mouth and looked down, not able to look Darcy in the eyes as he spoke. "Uhh… no…" he started and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just… well, you're not welcome here." He glanced up at Darcy for a quick second then to Clare. "I mean, you can stay Clare, but umm… unfortunately Darcy can't."

Clare tilted her head, surprised that he actually said that. "Oh gee, thanks…" she said sarcastically.

Darcy glanced around for a moment, trying to process what Peter had said. "What do you mean I'm not welcome?" She finally spat out as she looked back at him.

Peter took a deep breath, trying to work up the courage to actually kick her out of The Dot. "Well," he said as he looked back at her, "what's so hard to understand about that? You're not welcome here. You need to leave." He said harshly. He was trying his best to sound like an asshole so maybe she would leave quicker and maybe it would be easier for her.

She scrunched up her forehead. "What did I do to not be welcome here?" She asked, trying to think back. It dawned on her that the last time she stopped in she didn't pay for her coffee. "Oh my gosh… is this because I didn't pay for my coffee?" She reached in to her purse to grab her wallet. "Here, here I'll pay for it right now. I didn't mean to not pay for it before, I swear."

He held his hand up, as to tell her to stop. "You're just not welcome here. I don't know why this is some big deal to you. It's not like you're going to be here much longer, right? You're probably planning your next 4 year escape," he spat out.

Darcy's face turned white as Peter was speaking. "Oh…" she said softly. "So… it's just that you don't want me here?" She asked quietly.

Clare shook her head. "This is bullshit. You can't do this. Where's Spinner?" She asked as she started to try and look towards the back to spot him. "Let's see what he has to say about this."

Peter glanced at Clare for a brief second then back to Darcy. "Yeah, that's it. I don't want you here," he said coldly. It was killing him to say this to her. For 4 years all he wanted was for her to be back. Now he had to pretend that he didn't give a damn about her. "So go. Leave."

Darcy nodded slowly. "Okay then…" she said as she looked down.

Clare grabbed Darcy's arm. "You're not going anywhere," she said before looking at Peter. "I want to see Spinner. Now. Get him out here."

Peter shook his head and kept his eyes on Darcy. "You need to leave before I call the cops for trespassing." He finally spat out. By this time a few customers had realized that something was obviously going on.

Darcy looked back up at Peter, her eyes filled with hurt. "I… I understand. I'll leave. You don't need to call the cops." She said as she pushed Clare's hand off of her arm. "Come on Clare, let's just go." She said as she looked around, seeing different customers watching them.

Clare shook her head quickly. "No! We're not going anywhere!" She said before looking back towards the back. "SPINNER!" She yelled out, trying to get his attention.

"No Clare stop, let's just go," Darcy pleaded. She glanced around again, getting embarrassed at this point. The customers don't know her history with Peter and probably all believe that Darcy is in the wrong and is not supposed to be there. "Come on," she said as she looked back at Clare. She started to walk towards the door, seeing that Clare wasn't following. She shook her head and looked over at Peter before sighing and walking outside. Darcy started to head over towards her car, just wanting to get in and disappear.

Clare refused to leave and looked at Peter. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" she shrieked.

Spinner came rushing out from the back and looked at Peter and Clare. "What is going on out here?!" He asked, noticing that the customers were all focused on them.

Clare looked over at Spinner and shook her head. "This _asshole_ just kicked Darcy out of here, saying she's not welcome all because _he_ doesn't want her here," she said as she pointed at Peter. "What the hell is your problem? You have no idea what she's been through these past few years!"

Peter stared at Clare and shook his head. "Nor does she know what I've been through! She's not the only one that may have had it rough these years. But none of that matters, right? The only thing that matters is that she suddenly wants to be back when it's so easy for her."

Clare's eyes widened and she could feel her blood boiling even more than it had been before. " _Easy_ for her?! You don't even know the-"

"Stop it!" Spinner finally said quietly but sternly. "This is a place of business. You guys are not the only ones in here. Knock it off!"

Peter looked over at Spinner and sighed softly. "Sorry, man. I'll explain it all later."

Spinner shook his head. "No, _you_ won't. _I_ will talk to you and remind you of that conversation we had before. Let me go fix this mess you made." He said and glanced around the room. "In the meantime…" he cleared his throat and started to speak louder. "Free dessert for everyone! Consider it my treat on top of this free entertainment you have had to endure." He glanced back over at Peter and leaned in closer. "If I hear one more peep about this in front of any customers, these desserts are coming out of your check." He muttered.

Peter rubbed his forehead a little and nodded, glancing around at everyone. "Uhh… who needs the dessert menu?" He said as he put on the best smile he could at the moment.

Spinner made his way out of The Dot, Clare following behind. They walked over to the parking lot and towards Darcy's car, not seeing her in there. Spinner noticed the seat was leaned back and knew that Darcy was in there trying to hide. He walked over to the passenger side before getting in the passenger seat. "Darce… are you okay?" he asked softly.

Darcy had her hands over her face before she heard Spinner's voice. She lowered her hands and looked over at him and Clare, who was in the backseat. "I don't know," she said in almost a whisper.

"Come back inside, we'll get you a nice cup of coffee and a chocolate muffin." Spinner said with a little smile. "They're fresh out of the oven as of a half hour ago."

"He doesn't want me in there," she said weakly.

"So? That's not his choice," he said as he shook his head. "We'll even make him pay for your muffin. Will that make you feel better?" he said with a small chuckle.

She managed to let out a small laugh. "I don't know… he said he'd call the cops if I didn't leave," she shifted a little in the seat so her upper body was facing Spinner more.

"He can't call the cop. You're not banned from our restaurant. You're not being disorderly," Spinner shook his head. "You're a paying customer. Well, _he's_ paying for you," he reiterated. "You are more than welcome anytime you want to come."

Darcy nodded her head a little as Spinner talked. "Thanks," she said softly. "I just… he doesn't want me around. I'm not going to go in there just to piss him off more."

Spinner opened his mouth for a second to say something before closing it, thinking about if he really wanted to say what he was going. He contemplated for a few seconds before finally shrugging. "It's not him that doesn't want you around. I think if he had his way, you'd be around all the time. It's his girlfriend. She doesn't want you around." He said before glancing at Clare then back at Darcy. "She made him promise that he would threaten to call the cops on you if you came to The Dot. That's all her. Not him."

She sat up a little more as Spinner spoke. "Really?" she asked, slightly amused. "Why doesn't she want me around?"

"Well, if I had to guess I'd say she's threatened by you," he said with a chuckle. "Something about Peter telling her you're the one that got away and how you're the only one he's ever loved. Something along those lines."

Darcy couldn't stop the smile that was taking over her face. "Really? He said that to her?"

"Apparently so. She freaked out on him when you were here last," Spinner said with a nod. "It was rather hysterical to watch but I did feel bad for the guy. I mean he said that she basically said if he saw you again that she would leave him."

She listened to every word Spinner said and nodded her head. "Good to know. That's… really good to know."

He rose an eyebrow, not sure what was going on in Darcy's head right now. "Yeah… so… let's go back inside…" he said with a small chuckle.

Darcy shook her head. "Nah… not tonight." She said as she glanced over at Clare then back at Spinner. "I don't want to agitate him anymore tonight. Let him tell his girlfriend how he kicked me out and let her revel in this moment," she said with a smile. "I'll be back. I'm not going to give up on him. I'm not giving up on us. He's going to see that he can't push me away."

Spinner glanced back at Clare for a second, trying to see if Clare could figure out what the heck Darcy was planning or if this was just something that was over his head. "Okay then…" he said as he looked back at Darcy. "Well, I have to get back to work. I just promised everyone free dessert and as much as I would love to make Peter deal with it all, I don't need these customers even more upset." He said with a soft chuckle.

Darcy nodded her head and leaned in to hug Spinner. "Give me a call when you get off. Maybe we can go see a movie or something."

Spinner nodded and then left to go back into work. Clare jumped up to the front seat and the sisters figured out where else to go for dinner. Darcy told Clare about her plan to just keep showing up when Peter was working to show that she isn't going away and that she isn't giving up on him.


	6. Beg

**Warning: This chapter involves mature themes. This is NOT intended for audiences under 18 years old. You have been warned.**

* * *

 _ **Sep. 10th**_

It was a Thursday night and Peter had been scheduled to close. It had been a rather slow night so most of his closing tasks were already done. He hadn't had a customer in nearly an hour and now there was only 10 minutes left until The Dot was officially closed for the night. Peter had spent the majority of this past hour cleaning and texting with Anastasia. Thursday's were a big party night for Anastasia and her friends and it was very clear to Peter that she had already started pre-gaming for her night out with her friends. He knew exactly how this night would go. She would spend the next two hours trying to convince him to come out as well even though she knows he doesn't like the group she parties with. Drugs were always surrounding the group and he often suspected that Anastasia would take part in the drugs as well though she always denied it. Regardless on if she did take part in the drugs, after about 2 hours out with that group she would start threatening Peter through texts about how she could easily hook up with some other guy who did want to party with her. The threats would go on for about a half hour until she would call him up and apologize for how she was acting. During her slurred apology, she would cry about how she wished he understood her and how she felt he didn't want to be with her. Now that Darcy is back in town Anastasia always brought her up as well, crying about how he'll never love her like he loved Darcy. At least that's what he thought he could hear through her slurs. It really was hard to understand what she would say between her slurring, crying, and the background music. It always ended up the same though, through her tears she would ask Peter if he could pick her up and he always did. They would go back to his place so she could sleep it off, except she would spend 10 minutes trying to get Peter in the mood because Anastasia was always ridiculously horny when she would be drunk. Peter was always tired and highly annoyed at this point and would tell her to just go to sleep but instead she would start whining about how he wasn't fulfilling his manly duties by having sex with her and that she could have easily went home with numerous guys tonight that would have gladly had sex with her. He knew the only way to shut her up would be to force himself to get hard and to have sex with her, which is exactly what he did. Afterwards she would always roll over and fall right to sleep while he would still be awake for a little while, wishing that Thursday's could just one day be different but this had been the routine for a good three months now. The bright side was that every Friday he got to wake up to breakfast in bed and Anastasia apologizing for how crazy she had been acting. Of course she would try to promise Peter that she wasn't going to drink like that again yet he knew that was a lie because the next Thursday the same thing would happen again, like clockwork.

Peter was cleaning the coffee pots to put away for the night when he heard the door chime. He glanced over his shoulder to see who in the world would actually come in this late. He saw Darcy wearing a crop top and skintight leather short skirt. He couldn't help but to eye her up and down for a quick second but then he gritted his teeth a little. This was the last thing he needed tonight. It was already going to be a rough night with his girlfriend; he didn't need ex-girlfriend drama on top of it. "What are you doing here?" he asked rather harshly.

Darcy furrowed her brows as she walked up to the counter. "Well hi to you too," she muttered. "I was looking for Spin. He said he was working today."

He turned to face her, leaning against the sink. "You're late. He got off about two hours ago," he said and crossed his arms. "So, do you mind leaving?" That was more of an order than a question.

She knew when Spinner got off. She had actually talked to him right after he got off of work. Truthfully, she came to see Peter. She wasn't going to let him know that, at least not yet. She wanted to work on making him a little less hostile before she would let it out that really she was just trying to work on their relationship here. "Actually, I do mind. I'm a paying customer, so let's see…" she looked at him with a little smirk, "what kind of muffins do you still have left?"

Peter looked at her, completely unamused by her response. "I'm not doing this tonight, Darce. I told you that you cannot be here so leave." His voice was harsh and straight to the point.

Darcy crossed her arms, mimicking his body language. "Yeah and if I recall correctly, Spinner told you that I can be here since I'm a paying customer. So you have to serve me. So again, what types of muffins are left?"

He could about kill Spinner for telling Darcy about their conversation. Still, he wasn't going to let up. "Well you are more than welcome to be here when Spinner is here or anyone else," he uncrossed his arms and walked a little closer to the counter, "but when it is just me, you are not welcome here. So again, leave."

She swallowed a little as he got closer to her. Darcy had thought for sure that he would have backed down by now. Still, she wasn't going to give up. He never gave up when he was apologizing to her for the whole Adams picture fiasco when they were teens. Now it was her turn to never give up. "I'm not leaving, Peter," she said softly. "I don't care how mad you are at me. I don't care if your girlfriend doesn't want me here. I'm not giving up."

Peter stared at her in silence for a moment. It was a nice gesture but he had enough to deal with in regards to Anastasia tonight. If she found out that Darcy was here at the Dot with him, he would never hear the end of it. "Fine," he finally spat out. "If you really want a muffin that bad, you can get one yourself. Just leave when you're done." He turned and started heading towards the back room. He knew that she meant she wasn't giving up on him, not on the muffins, but he still did not want to be around her at the moment. Not when he had enough to deal with tonight.

Darcy watched him start to walk towards the back room. "Really?!" she yelled out after him. He didn't stop walking away and next thing she knew he had disappeared in the back. She let out a loud groan. Peter really was going to make her work for this. She walked over to the front door and locked it, flipping the open sign off. She didn't care how much he didn't want her here right now, she was determined to try and fix this. Before giving it any other thought, she walked on back to the back room. She glanced around, trying to spot him as she had never been in the back before. Darcy spotted another room that had a light on, which she assumed had to be the manager's office. She walked briskly to the door of that room, spotting Peter sitting at the desk and looking at his phone. "What part of 'I'm not giving up' don't you understand?"

He didn't see or hear her walking up, so when she spoke it startled him. He scrunched up his forehead and shook his head. "What the fuck?!" He said as he stood up, tossing his phone on the desk. "Are you fucking crazy? You're not supposed to be back here!"

She walked into the office and up close to him. "Well, you kinda left me with no other choice. Will you just talk to me?" Darcy was almost pleading at this point. "I want to fix this, Peter. Just talk to me."

Peter shook his head once again. "You know I could have you arrested for trespassing right now." He looked away from her and started to try to walk away but Darcy had grabbed his arm to stop him. "Why are you trying to fuck up my life?" He asked as he looked back at her.

"I'm not trying to fuck up your life! I'm trying to be a part of it." She still held on to his arm, refusing to let it go. "So have me arrested, I don't care. Hell, you can hit me if you want to." She moved her hand down farther on his arm so she can raise his hand up. "Come on, punch me. Pull my hair. Kick me. Do something! I can handle it. You can take your anger out on me." She let his arm go so he could freely hit her if he felt like it. "Come on, do it. I swear I can handle it. But I can't handle you being so angry at me anymore!" Her eyes were locked on his and when he still didn't do anything except stare at her, she stepped even closer to him, their bodies touching at this point. "Come on, do something!"

Before he could stop himself and think, he took his hand that she had lifted up and he moved it to the back of her neck. He leaned down and impulsively kissed her hard. There was just something about her not giving up that made him want her. Darcy was not expecting him to kiss her but she immediately wrapped her arms around him, kissing him back intensely. This was wrong, both of them knew it deep down, but this felt so right; so natural. Maybe it was just the moment, maybe it was lust, or maybe… just maybe they both still loved each other and wanted to show it. Peter started to lead her over to the desk, not letting a second pass in their kiss. She let out a soft moan in the kiss, moving one of her hands down his back and to his waistline. Once she felt the desk behind her, she slid her body on to it and moved both of her hands to his belt buckle, not breaking the kiss. She undid his belt, then the button of his pants, then unzipped his pants. She brushed her hand against his boxers, feeling how hard his manhood was.

Peter felt her hand brush against his penis and inhaled deeply. He moved his hands down to her thighs, hiking her skirt up. He ran one hand up against her thong, feeling how moist and warm it had become. Darcy pushed down his boxers and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her. She wanted him inside of her that very second. He lifted one side of her thong, pushing it off to the side. He grabbed ahold of his penis and ran it up and down her folds, teasing her and getting her juices on him. After a few movements up and down, Darcy broke the kiss. "Please, Peter. Please," she murmured in his ear. She longed to have him inside of her. This was a foreign feeling for her but she loved every moment of it. He smirked a little; he couldn't deny it felt nice to hear her beg him. Plus he would be lying if he said he didn't want this as well. He aligned himself just right before he pushed himself into her opening. She let out a small squeal when she felt him enter her. Peter's eyes rolled back a little, he didn't realize how tight she was going to be. It was as if she hadn't been with anyone since the last time they were together. He looked in her eyes for a second before he leaned in, kissing her passionately as he began to thrust slowly. He bit her lip softly causing her to moan out.

As he began to thrust even faster and harder, both of their breaths became heavy and their kisses became shorter. Darcy started to slide back on the desk with each thrust and Peter wasn't able to go real deep into her. He slowed his pace before he pulled out of her. "Flip over," he commanded. She hopped off of the desk and then turned around, leaning over it. He loved how quick she was to listen to him and how much control he had in this moment. He checked her out in this position before hiking her skirt up even more. He grabbed a hold of the strings of her thong before pulling her thong down so it would drop to her ankles and would stay out of the way. Without any warning, he thrusted himself back in to her, going deeper than he did before. She was not expecting him to violently enter her like that and she let out a loud yelp of pleasure.

Peter held on to her waist as he moved faster and harder into her, keeping himself hitting her deeply. Darcy kept moaning and panting for air so Peter could only assume he was hitting her in all of the right spots. She moved one of her hands down to grab on to his, leading his hand up to her hair. He went ahead and grabbed on to her hair, tugging gently. "Harder," she called out raspily. This was certainly new to Peter. Anytime they had sex as teens, it was gentle and loving. Darcy never gave off any indication that she was into anything rough. He did as instructed and tugged on her hair even harder. The noise that came out of Darcy was even louder than before and her mouth hung open. Peter could see this sides of her mouth curled into a smile even with her mouth open. He held on to her hair as he moved even faster, feeling her trembling under him. Her pelvic muscles started to convulse uncontrollably as she began to orgasm. Peter let go of her hair and put his hand back on her waist, trying to ride her orgasm out. He forgot how great her orgasms felt compared to the other women he had been with. He continued to pound deeply into her even faster but he couldn't hold it any longer with her convulsions. He let out a moan as he thrusted deep into her, holding it there for a second. He slid down her walls slowly before going deep in her again, cumming inside of her.

Darcy tried to catch her breath as she could hear Peter gasping for air as well. After a few seconds, Peter pulled himself out of Darcy, still trying to catch his breath. She stood back up and turned around to face him. She couldn't believe what just happened but it felt right to her. It felt natural. She had a little smile on her face which made Peter smile as well. They were both under a haze of bliss for a moment.

That moment was very brief because Peter quickly realized what he did. "Oh shit," he muttered, quickly bending down and lifting his boxers and pants back up. He just cheated on Anastasia. Even though it did feel right to Peter to be with Darcy in that moment, it was so very wrong. "Shit shit shit," he said as he buckled up his belt. "You have to go. This was wrong. This shouldn't have happened. You have to go, now."

Darcy's smile was completely wiped from her face and instead she looked crushed. "Umm… yeah…" she said softly, pulling up her thong and readjusting her skirt. "Can I just get cleaned up first?" she kept her eyes off of him, afraid that if she looked at him she may just start crying.

He felt bad about what just happened. He couldn't stand to see her looking crushed like this but he had a girlfriend. He watched her bend down to pull up her thong and noticed she had a little ankle bracelet on. The charm looked so familiar. He squinted to see better, seeing that it looked exactly like the key charm that was on the necklace he gave her years ago. He couldn't believe it. If it was the same, she kept the charm after all of these years. This made him feel even worse. Still, he couldn't focus on that right now. He had a girlfriend. This wasn't supposed to have happened. "Yeah, of course. I still have about 10 minutes left of work I have to do so yeah…."

She nodded her head then quickly turned and walked out of the room, avoiding any eye contact with him. She made her way back out to the front then over to the women's restroom. Once inside, she locked the door behind her then slid down the door. Sex had always been something extremely important to her and it still was. She never imagined that she would do anything like this but she also trusted Peter. This was the man she lost her virginity to. The man that she once imagined she would marry. Now she was basically tossed aside after sharing a very intimate moment with him. When she felt herself tearing up, she pushed herself off of the ground and quickly turned the faucet on to splash water on herself.

Peter stayed in the back, finishing up the little portions of the closing process that he needed to do. Of course he also had to clean up the desk before Spinner or Gamal figured out that something happened here that definitely should not have. Once he was done, he sat down for a moment and checked his phone. He had 9 texts from Anastasia that he had missed. He really didn't know how he was going to deal with Anastasia now - especially tonight when she's already been drinking. Peter tried to put that in the back of his mind while he decided to go check on Darcy, since he hadn't heard her come out of the bathroom or anything. He closed up everything in the back then walked over by the bathrooms. "Darcy? Hey Darce, are you ready to go?" He called out. He waited a few seconds and didn't hear any reply. He knocked on the door and still didn't get a reply. "Darcy? Are you okay?" He yelled out before turning the nob to the women's restroom. It was unlocked and upon opening it he realized that she wasn't even there anymore. She had already left quietly without saying a word.


End file.
